


Starlit Spirits

by Serie11



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Gen, Post-Canon, Reincarnation, Talking, Worldbuilding, friendship across lifetimes, honestly just filling in some plot holes, slight AU elements
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-09
Updated: 2019-07-09
Packaged: 2020-06-25 07:22:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,628
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19740919
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Serie11/pseuds/Serie11
Summary: “Your legacy has already begun,” Zuko tells her, putting a hand on her shoulder. “You should go and rest. So you have a clear head to decide how you will shape it.”





	Starlit Spirits

Korra sits with her head on her knees, staring out over the bay towards the city, and the beam of light splitting the sky. It’s been days since Lin had taken Kuvira into custody, and Korra had been trying to lead the clean-up of the city, taking special care around the area where spirit vines now entangle the buildings. Tenzin had sent her back here to rest, and instead she’s sitting around and thinking about how she should be out there, with them. Stupid. She _should_ be in bed. She’s a far cry away from her younger days, and even though she has all the energy could ever need, it’s still wise to rest when nothing is seriously at risk of exploding in their faces. She knows that.

So why is she still sitting here?

“Korra,” a voice calls from behind her. Korra spins, airbending herself to her feet even though she had recognised the voice. It belongs to someone who doesn’t need to see her moping on the ground, when both of them know that she should be sleeping.

“Lord Zuko,” she greets the elderly man, bowing her head slightly. He looks her over calmly – he’d been at dinner last night, but she hadn’t had a chance to talk to him since he arrived to aid in any way that he could in the rebuilding of Republic City.

“I can see that you are troubled,” Zuko says. “Walk with me.”

Korra falls into step with him as he makes his way down the hall. Zuko doesn’t feel like the other firebenders she knows – Mako is condensed power and energy and life. Zuko _radiates_ it. And she’s sure that he’s holding it in. Is that a product of his lineage, or just his age?

“How could you tell?” Korra asks, because he hadn’t been wrong.

“Aang used to get the same wrinkle between his eyebrows when he was having a particularly hard time mastering a firebending move,” Zuko tells her. “What is it that’s worrying you? The obvious, or the less obvious?”

“What’s the obvious?” Korra asks wryly. These halls… she hasn’t spent as much time here as she’d have truly liked. Zuko turns them down a path she doesn’t particularly recognise, but she’s hardly worried. He probably knows where he’s going. She holds in a sigh. He probably knows where he’s going, always. Even when he’s got hard decisions in front of him, and separate paths that he could tread.

“The spirit portal in the middle of the city,” Zuko replies. “It should worry you, Korra. It’s a difficult problem, and one that _you_ are going to have to deal with. The spirits will listen to you. Your presence in Republic City is going to be needed more than ever in the coming years.”

Korra lets out a slow breath. “And the less obvious?”

“The situation in the Earth Kingdom,” Zuko says. “The impending governance issues. And… the young King.”

Korra resists the urge to wince. “Wu does worry me. A lot.”

“He is young,” Zuko allows. “I have met him, on more than one occasion. It’s what Shirong would have wanted… As another ruler, I’ve attempted to give him advice.”

Korra looks at him out of the corner of her eye. “Attempted.”

“If he has listened, I’ve seen little evidence of it,” Zuko admits. “But as I said, he is young, and has grown up in a time of peace. He’s gained an immense amount of responsibility with his coronation. Hopefully, it should cool his head and his ways.”

“He wants to abolish the power the monarchy has over the Earth Kingdom,” Korra points out. She still doesn’t know if it’s because he truly thinks that the Earth Kingdom should have their independence, or if he just doesn’t want to have anything to do with the day to day decisions and pressure of running a Kingdom that immense. 

“So I’ve heard,” Zuko muses. “If he makes it his goal, he might even reach it. I’ve been working towards a similar goal for most of my life, and I’ve yet to attain it.”

“ _You’ve_ been trying to abolish the role of Fire Lord?” Korra asks, shocked.

“It’s not that simple,” Zuko says. They come to one of the balcony’s that rim the edge of Avatar Island and Korra hangs her hands over the side. Underneath them, the ocean calls out to her, welcoming and safe. She lets herself flow with it. _Push, and pull._

“It’s not simple for Wu, because he’s still the spiritual centre of the Earth Kingdom, right? Even if he gives up all his political power, he _can’t_ give away his spiritual power… and that’s the same as political power. Now, more than ever.”

“Yes,” Zuko agrees. “But if he truly can arrange for each city-state to democratically lead themselves, with his role changed to something similar to yours – a powerful birthright of connection to the spirits – then I think the Earth Kingdom wold be happier. Even a mountain is made up of individual rocks. Democracy might suit them.”

“The Earth Kingdom is one big mountain,” Korra huffs, amused. “But that’s not the same as the Fire Nation, right?”

“No,” Zuko agrees. “The current role of the Fire Lord is actually quite recent. Izumi is the seventh and most recent Fire Lord. Fire Lord Sozin’s grandfather, Fire Lord Zolin, was the first Fire Lord as it is known today. Before that, the position of Fire Lord was simply a way to identify the leader of the Fire Sages. It was Avatar Kyoshi who changed that.”

“Then how was the Fire Nation governed?” Korra quizzes. She lets out a huff and tries not to make it sound too frustrated. “How come no one tells me about this stuff?”

“The White Lotus likely thought it was unimportant,” Zuko muses. “Few outside the Fire Nation have taken my attempts to remove the Fire Lord from power seriously. As they will doubt Wu, as well. The Fire Nation used to be a collection of separate clans, warring at will within the bounds of the Fire Nation. While that was suppressed during the War, there has been some… issues between the clans since then. My daughter has proven a skilled hand in dealing with all types of disputes.”

“Huh,” Korra says. She can’t see the golden gleam of the spirit portal from here – she still can’t believe that _she_ was the one who did that. Maybe keeping it out of her sight and her mind off that issue was why Zuko had brought them out here. Or maybe he just liked how the stars look, without the brightness of the city to hide them from sight. It doesn’t compare to anything like the South Pole, but she has to admit that seeing the stars does make her feel closer to home. “I didn’t know.”

“You are still young as well, Korra,” Zuko tells her. “Even when I was your age, I still had no idea what trials awaited me, and I had been in charge of the Fire Nation for years! What really matters is having people around you who you can lean on, and who have the right knowledge and ways of filling in those gaps that you have.”

“Like a former Fire Lord?” Korra shoots a grin at him.

“My position certainly does help,” Zuko admits. “But you shouldn’t lean too heavily on me.”

Korra leans her head onto her palms as she stares out over the water. “Because you taught Aang, right?”

“It is never wise to cross teachers,” Zuko agrees. “For the obvious reasons that I may not be a good teacher. Yes, it is possible,” he replies to her doubtful look. “Normally, it isn’t too much of an issue. Historically, Avatars have long lifespans. But Aangs time in the ice… That time had to catch up to him eventually.” He turns to face her instead of looking out into the bay. Towards the Fire Nation. “But another reason is because this life is _yours,_ Korra. You shouldn’t mix yourself up with Aang too closely.”

“He’s gone now, though,” Korra says regretfully. “Ever since… I haven’t felt him, or any of the others. All their knowledge…”

“Is still inside your spirit,” Zuko says. He taps a finger over her heart. “Or you wouldn’t be able to go into the Avatar state anymore. Losing them just means that you will have to be better.”

Korra breathes out, and misses the fog of her breath. It’s never _cold_ here. “Tall order.”

“But one I’m certain you can achieve,” Zuko says. “I’ve seen you grow these past few years, even though it has been hard. You walk a path that few humans dare to follow you on, let alone lead. I do not envy you.” He shakes his head. “Even so, this is your age… and your choice as to how you will deal with the issues soon headed your way.” He looks over her shoulder and Korra turns around.

The golden light of the spirit world illuminates the sky, but with the island blocking the view of the city she can almost imagine that the beam is coming down from the sky instead of pouring up into it. Or maybe it’s doing both – twisting, twining, just like the spirit vines that coil out of it. She wonders, if there was anything up there in the sky, would the spirit vines curl out and grab it, too?

“Your legacy has already begun,” Zuko tells her, putting a hand on her shoulder. “You should go and rest. So you have a clear head to decide how you will shape it.”

Korra can only nod, tears gathered in the corners of her eyes. She _can_ do this.

And she will.

**Author's Note:**

> This will probably make more sense if you've read [Embers,](https://archiveofourown.org/works/3591783/chapters/7921653) as I've liberally stolen some worldbuilding from there.


End file.
